The Artist is the Creator of Beautiful Things
by Norah the Poet
Summary: When out hunting with Merle, Daryl unexpected stumbles upon a small girl. Little does he know that her kind but feisty attitude and her free-spirited nature will teach him a new way of surviving in this new cruel world. Daryl/OC Rated M for SEX and DRUGS and ABUSE and ZOMBIES! Etc, etc,etc. Whatever. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first time on fanfiction in a while. Really into Walking Dead, esp. Norman Reedus, lol. To all my past Twilight fanfic fans, I regret to inform you that due to my lack of interest in the Twilight Series as of the past idk two years has led me to the decision to put the stories up for adoption. Feel free to pm me abt it. I am deeply sorry if this news makes you sad, I can only hope that my immensely improved writing skills and hopefully kickass story is enough of an apology to make up for it.**

**SO, here goes.**

**Chapter One: Alizarin Crimson**

The hunter stalked silently through the woods, squinting at the patches of sunlight that shone brightly through the thick Georgia foliage. Two weeks, three days, and 18 days since the world had gone to shit, and Daryl Dixon was well on his way to shooting his older brother in the face.

"C'mon, Darlina, let's pick up the pace! Whaddya think yer trackin', one'a them Walkers?" Daryl grunted unintelligently at Merle; he had given up arguing a long time ago. It hadn't been a month ago that the two of them found themselves staring at each other from opposite sides of the double-paned glass at the clink Merle had found himself in, no better for ware than they were now. The dead coming alive to devour the living was simply another curveball the brothers had thrown at them; just like their mom's unnecessary and untimely death, their dad's drunken rage, Merle's delinquency and drug issues. Life, after all, had never really been so kind to the Dixon brothers. Daryl in particular. _But he was a fighter. A survivor. He was better._

The rustling of leaves nearby snapped the younger brother from his determined thoughts, and he crept forward, aiming his crossbow. This fucker, whatever the hell it was, was hopefully dinner. As he prepared to shoot, he listened for the sound again, and frowned. _Fuck, sounds like footsteps. _The hunter peered around a tree, finger braced on the trigger of his crossbow ready for a Walker, when suddenly into his line of fire fell a small, young woman. "Jesus fuck!" he cursed as he dropped his bow and she fell into his arms, one of his arrows piercing her shoulder.

"HahahaHA! You gone and shot a lil' girlie! Son of a bitch, that's gotta hurt!" She moaned, and Daryl swore again. _Good job asshole, you went and shot some poor girl. _"You 'wake?" The girl whimpered and looked up at him with big green eyes. "Ye-Yeah, I can walk. You bastard!" He almost laughed at her insult as she winced and grabbed her wounded shoulder. "Think this'll come out?"This time, Daryl _did _laugh. "Can't stay in, cannit?" He snorted at her as he picked up his crossbow and took the rear, the two following Merle back to camp.

* * *

As Daryl skinned the two meager squirrels he had managed to catch before shooting the still nameless girl, she sat on the ground, warming her dirty bare feet on the small fire he had prepared. Merle had disappeared into the tent long ago, as soon as they had come back to camp in fact. _Goddamn junkie._ Daryl angrily gutted the last squirrel and impaled it with a stick to cook it over the fire.

"What's yer name, lil lady?" Daryl smirked at the girl sitting across from him. It was almost comical, her looking at him with the arrow still coming out of her shoulder. "Tell you what," she started, momentarily faltering to catch her breath. "Get this thing outta my arm, then we can make nice, oki?" It was then that he realized how stupid he had been. Shoulda pulled it out as soon as they got back. "A'right, lemme go get somethin' to stop tha bleedin'."

As he rummaged through his truck, all Daryl could think about was those eyes. Those damn green eyes. The way the fire danced in them. She was odd. Quiet. But, not quiet, too. Just, odd. He grunted as he slammed his cab door shut, grasping his ratty handcloth. As he walked back to the fire, he stopped to really look at the girl. She was small, very small, and her hair was chopped short, shorter than his. She had wide green eyes and small, but full lips, slightly chapped, what with it being the end of the world and all. She was dressed in a sleeveless DC sweatshirt, and a swirly wooden gauge hung from one of her pierced ears. He had to admit, as odd as she was, she was damn nice to look at. He walked around the fire, and sat down on the ground next to her.

"List'n lil lady, this gon' hurt," the hunter warned, gripping the arrow with one hand and his knife with the other. "Gon' try an' cut the son'a'bitch's head off, then slide it out nice an easy, a'right?" He surprised himself at his gruff yet almost comforting tone. He couldn't help but feel guilty for shooting her, especially when she made that damned face. Even in pain she was striking. As he brought his knife down to saw through it, he looked at her, and held he shoulder with one hand "W-what-FUCK!" She cursed loudly as his other hand snapped the arrow head off, and quickly grabbed the rag, holding it to the wound. "Figgered it'd be easier ta not tell you, sorry lil lady. Now comes the hard part." She whimpered, and he slowly pulled the arrow out of her shoulder, stopping when she started to squirm. "Don' make me have Merle hold ya down, you would'n like that." He mumbled as he used his other hand to steady her. He didn't really know why he was doing this, when he could have just left her for dead. I mean, after all, it was the zombie apocalypse. You couldn't blame someone for looking the other way and moving on when it could mean the difference between life and death. It was survival of the fittest. Every goddamn man for himself. Daryl figured it was because he had been the one to shoot her. _That and those goddamn green eyes. Jesus._

He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts as he finished taking the arrow out. "Yer gonna hafta take that thing off so I can wrap yer shoulder up, sorry." He looked down at the ground as the slender girl struggled to get out of her sweatshirt. "Luna. And yer gonna have to help a girl out here, Sharpshooter." His eyes shot up to meet her green ones. They were slightly red, and he could see the remnants of tears left behind on her dirty face. He pitied the girl, and swallowed his pride, helping her out of the sweatshirt carefully. "Probly shoulda done that 'fore I took that nasty bitch outta yer arm. Wasn't thinkin'."

Luna laughed weakly as he wrapped up her shoulder carefully. "That supposed to be an apology Sharpshooter? 'Cuz if it was, it was a pretty shitty one." He snorted at her, but never looked up at her shoulder. Her skin was soft, despite the layer of grime, and the grooves of her collarbones were defined, making beautiful crevices in her chest. Her chest. Daryl silently thanked himself for the small fire and dim lighting as he stole sneaking glances at her when she wasn't watching him intently.

Odd. Intruiging. But really, _really _nice to look at.

* * *

Luna woke to the smell of a dying fire and the sounds of a brewing argument between the strangers she had met the previous afternoon. She had been walking through the dense forest when out of nowhere some grimy Georgian redneck and his buddy found her. She knew that the older looking one was Merle, but still had no idea who the younger one was. Darlina couldn't really be his name, could it? She had fallen asleep shortly after the hunter had finished wrapping up her injured shoulder, and now found herself completely disoriented.

"We're bringin' her back, Merle!"

"No, we _ain't!_"

"Dammit! I fuck'n shot the girl, an you wanna leave 'er here?! I oughtta kick yer ass y'know."

"Like ta see ya try, lil Darlina! We ain't bringin' her back lil bro, that's that!"

She watched in shock as the younger one growled and pounced on Merle, but soon was overpowered.

"Um, excuse me?" The two brothers finally noticed her prescence, awake and aware, and Merle smiled. "Well well well, lookie here, sugartits woke up! Looks like we don' hafta leave ya sorry ass behind," He grinned at her toothily, and she shivered slightly, looking to the blue-eyed hunter who was still red-faced and fuming. "Git off me, Merle!" He brought his elbow back into Merle as he let him go, and the two got off the ground.

"I don't think we've formally met, lil lady, but this here's my lil bro, Daryl, he's the bastard tha' shot ya!" Merle stopped to laugh and spit on the ground. "We got us a camp with a few others back at this quarry, we can trust ya, right?" She gulped and nodded, and he gestured to the pickup truck.

"Well hop in!"


	2. Chapter 2: Raw Umber

**Hey guys, so this is chapter two. Be sure to review if you like this! **

**Chapter Two: Raw Umber**

Luna found herself in the rusty old pickup truck sitting next to a quiet, brooding Daryl. "What happened back there?" she tried. He only grunted and shook his head. _This isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be._"Okay, have it your way sharpshooter." She saw the corner of his mouth twitch at the nickname, and bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Keep runnin' that pretty lil mouth a yers off, an' you'll be ridin with Merle," she stopped and swallowed hard at that. Merle made her uncomfortable. It was as if he didn't care about a single person or thing besides whatever kept him occupied in that tent and himself. She wasn't at all far off the mark; in fact she pretty much hit the nail on the head. "You wouldn't," she meant for it to sound joking, but instead her voice came out shaky. His blue eyes glanced over at her as he took a turn and drove down a dirt path. "Almost there anyway," he grunted, and the petite girl sighed in relief.

As he was focused on driving, Luna couldn't help but admire the definition of his arms, the way his strong chest rose and fell underneath his sleeveless shirt and worn leather vest. Despite his seemingly redneck demeanor, there was something there, a depth to Daryl she didn't see in his brother, and for some reason that made her more curious about him. The more she thought about it, the more he confused her. But she was forced to abandon her thoughts as the quarry and the camp came into view. She swallowed hard, nervous and hesitant. What if they didn't want her here? What if they made her leave? She'd be as good as dead.

"Here," Daryl announced as he hopped easily from the cab. Luna, distracted by the daunting task and her fear of rejection, didn't notice how he admired her determined face, or the way her hair clung to her skin, nor how her clothes did little to hide her feminine figure. He sighed at her leap from the cab and fist pump of victory before grabbing her arm and leading her over to introduce her to the rest of the survivors in the camp.

* * *

Everyone seemed to take to Luna immediately, probably because she was so small and calming to be around. _Calms you down, Darlina? What kinda girlie are ya anyways. You'd think you was my lil sis! _He growled out loud at the sound of Merle's raspy voice chastizing him in his head, ignoring the quizzical look Luna gave him as she took a seat next to him around his and his brother's fire that evening. "Why aren't ya with the rest of em?" He didn't look up at her as he picked apart his freshly cooked squirrel. "I dunno. You saved me. And I don't really know them." Daryl snorted, "Don' really know me neither, girl." They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the crackle of the fire. "I shot you, lil lady. Di'n save ya." She simply shrugged, but refused to move from where she sat.

This girl was just getting more and more confusing to Daryl. What was more concerning to him at the moment, however, was the fact that he just couldn't seem to get rid of her. He had figured that after he had brought her back and introduced her to the rest of the survivors that would be that, but she kept coming back.

Why?

As he stole a glance at her, he noticed her shoulder. She had bled through her bandages. "Weren't ya gunna say nothin?! Jeezus, woman." She looked up into his eyes from the fire, and he focused hard to keep his face stone cold. "I'm sorry?" He rolled his eyes and gestured to her bandaged shoulder. "You straight bled through that, ain't tellin' me ya di'n notice? Again, she shrugged. He licked his fingers and wiped them on his dirty pants, as if that would make it better. She didn't seem to mind, though, judging by how she inched closer to him. "C'mere," he said, and this time, his voice was unusually gentle as he touched her shoulder and began unwrapping the previous night's work. His fingers, against his will, brushed against her soft skin lightly, yearning to explore her body more. He gritted his teeth, trying to stave steamy thoughts of her body pressed flush against his, how it would feel to nip and suck on that beautiful neck..._no. _Glancing up from his work to look into her beautiful green eyes, he silently prayed she didn't notice his odd behavior. "This hurt at all?" She winced as he peeled the wrappings off. "I mean, yeah. Fuck, you shot me yesterday, Daryl." Shit. The way she said his name. Why did she have to say his goddamn name. He heard Merle's voice echoing in his head. _You fucking pansy! _

Still, he couldn't help but imagine her supple skin pressed against him as his thumb glided over the inscription on her collarbone. "Wha's this?" She opened her eyes, grateful that he couldn't possibly see the blush forming on her cheeks in the dim firelight. Looking down at where his fingers brushed delicately over her chest, she chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before answering. "My, roomate. We did each others. She...didn't make it." Daryl frowned at the sour turn the conversation had taken. Always uncomfortable with his emotions and the feelings of others, Daryl's life and upbringing had left him little room for softness or tenderness, and instead had turned him into a bitter and hardened animal. Dangerous. Cruel and unfeeling. So what was it about this damn girl that he just couldn't seem to get her out of his head? Why was it that he couldn't stop thinking about how his name would sound were she screaming it into his ear?

"Lot'sa people di'n make it, Luna," Daryl offered up in his gruff manner, but she only shook her head, rubbing her eyes furiously. "You don't get it," she hissed, and for the first time since he had met the girl, he saw her anger flare. "She was _taken _from me. Before any of this. He took her!" Before he could stop her, Luna stood up and kicked a rock across the fire before stomping off into the dark wood. He rose to take off after her, but a hand fell on his shoulder. "It's alright Daryl, you got first watch, Me and Shane will go look for her" Andrea offered. Huffing, Daryl nodded.

He had no idea what he had just agreed to. Had he known that he could be the thing standing between that girl's life or death, he wouldn't have thought twice before going out to look for her himself.

* * *

The hooded figure stalked after Luna, watching her as she glided over the ground, completely oblivious and unaware of the impending danger. His insides burned with an uncontrollable desire for flesh and power; her vulnerability was sweet and his for the taking. Andrea was stupid, and easy enough to send running in the complete opposite direction. He had been watching the girl that the hunter had brought back to the camp. As far as he was concerned, she would be his before the night was over.

Luna had been enjoying the crisp night air, breathing in the scent of the night, relishing that it had remained untainted by the stench of rotting flesh. Then, a twig snapped behind her. Immediately on high alert, she reached down to grab the small dagger she had hidden in her boot, but Luna wasn't fast enough. A dirty hand latched onto her wrist and she yelped out in pain and surprise.

"Gotcha now bitch," a rough voice growled in her ear. Luna whimpered as he twisted her arm further behind her back. "Go ahead and scream, I'll make it worse for you in the end. By the time I'm done wit ya, yer gona wish you'd never been born." "Daryl," she whimpered out desperately, but inside she knew this was it. No one would save her.

_Crystal, forgive me. _

Luna cried out as she felt her shirt being torn from her body and her wound opening up again. Blood was dripping down her chest and she felt the tip of a knife press into her shoulder. She screamed out, the pain was excruciating. As the figure forced her to the ground, she couldnt help but think about how foolish she had been. All this time she had been running from walkers, when the real threat had always been those still living. His fist connected with her face and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She would not give this monster that satisfaction. But as his weight crushed down on top of her and he continued to deliver blow after blow to her body, she grew more and more tired, and slowly her struggles faded to whimpers and cries as he cut her pants from her body and tore at her delicate porcelain skin, marring its surface.

She felt humiliated, abandoned and alone, left in only her lace panties with this unidentified monster. He stopped ripping at her body for a moment to backhand her in the face. "You like that, you little bitch, huh? I'm going to _ruin _you." She tried to look at her attacker, but his hand slammed her head down to the ground, gripping her throat tightly.

Then, as fast as it all had happened, the figure released her, cursing as he spit on her and kicked her one more time before he slithered away into the darkness. _Why is he just leaving me? He must have heard something that scared him off. _Sure enough, just as the sound of her attackers footsteps faded, quicker, quieter footsteps grew closer and closer. Luna moaned and curled up into a ball, trying make herself as small as she could as she felt rain beginning to pour from the skies. She was fading in and out of conciousness, shivering uncontrollably as vicious sobs racked her tiny frame. A shadow loomed over her, and she felt a rough, calloused hand brush against her cheek. "Shit, I gotcha girl, shhh, I gotcha." But she was too weak to respond, to fight. She only tried to turn her head away and whimpered. She felt strong arms lift her up...

Then, everything went black.

Daryl anxiously kept watch, looking for signs of danger or Luna. He was angry at himself for scaring her off, but also angry at her for being stupid enough to wander off. She should have known better than to go off meandering into the woods of Georgia, especially when it was getting dark out, _especially_ seeing as he had shot her not a day ago. Not to mention the woods seemed to have an abundance of sneaky walkers. He huffed in frustration, biting his cuticle feverishly.

"Daryl?" He nearly jumped out of his skin and grunted at Glenn. "Damn Chinaman, sneakin' up on me." Glenn rolled his eyes, "I'm Korean you redneck bastard." They both looked at each other with half-hearted smiles. Then, something sounded in the distance, coming from within the thick woods. Daryl cocked his head to the side, listening intently as Glenn looked on confused.

"Did'ye hear tha?" Glenn only shrugged, and Daryl rolled his eyes, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Be back." He muttered as he stepped into the thick Georgia bush. He heard it again, only this time more distinct. It sounded like a wounded animal. Whatever it was, Daryl would find it. He maneuvered through the brush swiftly and silently, attracting as little attention to himself as possible. If it was a walker, he would be better off sneaking up on it anyways, and if it was a wounded animal it would run at the first sign of danger. The whimpers got closer. _Shit, that doesn't sound like no goddam animal._ Sure enough, the closer he got, the more the whimpers sounded human.

_Fuck, please don't be her. FUCK. _

As he increased his pace, it began to rain, the downpour soaking Daryl almost immediately. Then, he saw her. _I am going to kill the motherfucker that did this to her. _Crumpled in a naked heap on the ground, shivering and sobbing uncontrollably, was the girl he had shot not two days ago. The hunter pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling roughly to try and calm himself down. Someone had done this to her. He gently placed a hand on her cheek, rubbing the soft, bruised skin tenderly. He knew he had to try and control his anger, but he was seeing red. Someone was going to pay for this dearly. He would make sure of it.

Being careful not to hurt the frail woman, he slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her body into his arms. Had it been any other day under any other circumstance, he would have died and gone to heaven having seen her naked. But now, all he could think about was making her safe and making the hurt go away. "Shh lil lady, it's gon' be ok." he whispered as he began to walk back to the camp.

By the time he had reached the camp and gotten to his tent undetected, Luna had started to wake up. He set her down on his cot and poked his head out of the tent, whistling like a bird. Almost immediately, Merle's head popped out of his tent, his hand rubbing his nose. "Whad'ye want, Darlina?" Daryl shook his head and motioned him over. "List'n, the lil lady, she been...hurt. I need some help, think you could grab some stuff for me?" Merle nodded and set off towards the supply tent.

When Luna had fully regained her conciousness, she found herself in the same tent she'd been in when she woke in the morning. She was shaking uncontrollably, holding her arms over her bare chest. Had anybody seen? _Had Daryl seen? _She sobbed, and all of a sudden his head popped into the tent. She whimpered and shrunk away into the corner of the tent, pulling one of his flannels over her chest. "D-don't h-hurt m-me." she barely managed, before looking down at the ground and letting silent tears fall from her eyes. Daryl growled and put the bucket of water down. "No one's gon' hurt ya baby, I won' let em."She peered up at him as he sighed and moved to sit next to her.

"I reckon someone beat ya pretty bad." She shook her head and nodded, still sobbing. "I thought...Daryl...I-" she faltered before she could finish her sentence, and tried to curl into a ball again. "List'n lil lady, I'm gon' take care of this okay? Whoever did this ain't gon' get very far." If only he knew just how close they really were. Before he could control himself, he reached out and brushed a rough hand against her cheek. "I'll take care of you." He whispered roughly. She leaned into his hand, and he pulled off his leather jacket, slipping it over her shoulders. "T-thank you." She squeaked out. Never before had she felt so vulnerable, so _stupid_. If she hadn't stormed off, neither of them would be in this situation. Tears began to fall from her puffy green eyes again. "I-I'm sorry," she sobbed, turning and leaning into his chest.

Daryl stiffened as she curled into him, completely unsure of what to do, how to handle the close contact. He gingerly placed his arms around her, burying his nose in her short hair. Even covered in dirt and grime, she smelled faintly of lavender. Damn. The hunter gritted his teeth as he fought to control his inner animal. "We oughta get you clean, pixie," he murmured into her soft, wet hair. He felt her shiver in his arms, and after a few long moments, she finally looked up at him with her huge doe eyes. "Oki," she said, so softly it was barely a whisper.

Taking one of the washcloths Merle had retrieved and dunking it into the water, Daryl gently grasped one of her arms and swept the cloth over her dirty skin. Despite her eyes boring into the top of his head, he never once looked up from her arm. Luna tried not to squirm in his grip, but still her movements caught his notice.

Daryl looked up into her eyes, his blue orbs burning with unreadable emotion. _Why you gotta be so damn pretty?_ He thought to himself. His fingers swept across her skin, caressing her shoulder. "I ain't gon' hurt ya baby." He did it again. Called her baby. The way he said it sent shivers down Luna's spine. "Why don' you lay down" he suggested, his voice rough and gravelly. For him it wasn't just about patching her up and getting her clean, it was about bringing her back from the brink, from the edge he knew she was balanced precariously on. But she didn't have to know that. Unfortunately, she must have been wondering why he seemed so intent on taking care of her.

"Daryl?" Her voice was quiet, muffled by a ratty pillow as she lay on her stomach. She felt the washcloth moving slowly up her back, and his rough hand move his shirt up higher and higher. Try as she might, she couldn't ignore the tingling feeling his fingers left behind, the wonderful sensation that pooled in her center. "Yea?" She nearly melted at the sound of his voice, his Southern drawl that suited him so well. "Don't get mad, but why are you doing this for me?" He did not look up this time, instead keeping the silence for a few moments as he washed away the dirt from her supple skin. "Reckon someone's gotta." She sighed, deciding not to press the issue further. If he ever wanted to tell her, he would. Though she highly doubted such a day where her and Daryl would be trading secrets was ever likely to occur. "Thank you," she squeaked out again.

By the time he had finished washing her body, Daryl had a raging, erm, problem. _She nearly got raped and killed, ya sick bastard._ He cursed himself inwardly. Still, thoughts of her, her skin, her full breasts, how she had let him wash her body, how he wished to take her into his arms and feel every curve and inch of her body. He longed to explore her, to _taste _her. _Stop it._ Before he could stop himself, he groaned loudly. Luna looked up immediately, thinking something was wrong. He hoped to god she wouldn't notice his raging hard-on. "What is it?!" He shook his head and stroked her shoulder. "Ain't nothin, jus thinkin is all." He turned to toss the washcloth into the bucket.

All of a sudden, he felt a small hand on his arm. "Daryl, please." The hunter turned to her slowly, knowing full well what she was asking. He didn't know if he could control himself. She was sitting there in front of him, in his shirt, biting her lip and looking up at him from under those goddamn eyelashes. "Luna..." he managed as she slowly inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck gingerly. _She feels so damn soft...no, nonoNO. _Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Daryl gently pushed her away. He didn't think he could control himself for much longer. "Luna, no." He immediately saw her face fall and turn beet red, her eyes welling up with tears. "Should go, ye can sleep in here fer the night." The hunter fumbled for the right words, and left having failed to find them, leaving Luna alone with herself and her thoughts. She sighed and stared down at her hands that were knotted together tightly in her lap.

What was she doing? Why had this happened to her? _And why can't I stop thinking about Daryl? He's just some redneck, he isn't your goddamn savior. _The only problem was that he really was. Damnit.

Sighing, she groaned and pressed a hand to her temple, not wanting to think about anything anymore. She needed a joint. A drink and a smoke too. Maybe a couple of pills. "Ugh, _fuck_." There was no way she was going to sleep. Giving up on the venture, she pulled herself painfully off Daryl's cot. "That damn redneck has to have smokes somewhere." She rummaged through his things for a bit before feeling too guilty to continue, and decided to leave the tent and go find her rough and tough savior.

Unfortunately, luck, as it seemed, was not in her favor.

**How do you like it? Review! Any ideas on who the assailant may be? Feedback is much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3: Dioxazine Purple

**Hey guys! Sorry my updates aren't too frequent, but I hope to make up for it with some Daryl awesomeness. Be sure to review if you like this! Here's chapter three! Also, chapter names will start to make a little more sense after this chapter, just for all of you curious kids out there. Also, here's that darned Disclaimer I so stupidly forgot about.**

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN NOTHIN', esp. not Walking Dead. Sad face.**

**Also, shout-out to Ranguki and AltairsEvilAngel! MY VERY FIRST REVIEWERS! Ranguki, I send you a cyber blunt. Or cookie. Whichever you'd prefer.**

**Chapter Three: Dioxazine Purple**

Luna changed into one of Daryl's longer shirts and stepped out of the tent, and straight into Merle's back. Oops. "Oh no you don'! Darlina tol' me to watch yer perty lil' ass, an' that's what I'm gon' do. So git back in that tent sweetcheeks." Aw, hell no. Merle? Really? Luna growled in frustration, and was about to turn to go back into her tent when a look of hope appeared on her face. She stepped closer to Merle, who gave her a warning look. "I said git, you hear?" She looked around, and gestured for him to come closer. "Do, do you, um…" He rolled his eyes at her. "Spit it out girlie, 'fore I beat it outta ya." She grimaced at the thought. "Do you have any…ugh fuck, do you have any weed?" He looked at her for a moment silent, and then burst out laughing. "Shut up, everyone will hear you! I'm serious Merle!" He stopped, looking at her in awe. "Well, 'course I do. But what're you gon' give ole Merle in return?" He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her and she sighed, rolling her eyes. "How about me not having a panic attack in five minutes?" He shook his head at her. "Fine, but ye owe me one, lil' lady." She followed him back to his tent, shadily looking around for peeping eyes.

Merle's tent was a million times worse than Daryls. There were squirrel tails hanging everywhere she looked, and it stank of body odour and something else she did not want to even try and identify. She gingerly avoided the soda bottle Merle had turned into a piss repository. Ugh. This was just downright nasty. At least Daryl's living space was clean and somewhat organized, liveable. Merle, he lived in his own filth! She wrinkled her nose as she watched him rummage through his belongings, mumbling curses and oaths under his breath. "Gotta be 'roun here some—aHA! Lookie here!" He held up a plastic bag full of weed and a leaflet of papers. "Ready to get stoned, sugartits?" If he called her another damn derogatory name, she might just lose it. Nevertheless, she forced a smile. "Course.

* * *

Five minutes later, she was sitting by the fire with Merle, smoking a joint. She had grabbed a pair of shorts, and the deluge of water that had been pouring relentlessly from the skies just a little bit earlier had almost ceased, now a light mist. She felt the calm wash over her as the sweet, pungent smoke filled her lungs and burned her throat. In the midst of the Apocalypse it was easy to forget such simple things as smoking a j. She crouched, perched atop the log Merle leaned against as he sat crosslegged on the ground two feet away from her. She sighed, grateful for the release.

"So what did you do before...this?" Luna offered in a feeble attempt to spark conversation. He chuckled as he puffed on the joint once more before handing it to her. "Everythang from lan'scapin, to roofin', you name it baby, I can do it." She took another hit from the j and passed it off to the eldest Dixon, pondering. Of course it only briefly crossed her mind that 'baby' sounded infinitely better coming from the other Dixon's mouth. Those lips she so wanted to kiss. Rejection hit her like a wave again, and she nodded gratefully to Merle as he returned the joint to her waiting fingers. She took a long, deep drag, and held it in as Merle addressed her. "How 'bout you? What was yer pretty lil' ass doin 'fore all this?" She shook her head at him. _Hopeless._ "I lived in a shitty apartment above a shitty chinese takeout place in Maine. I'm an artist. Well, I was. You know, back when there was a place for such things in the world. Now, it's all I can do to survive. After all, what good does a couple of pretty pictures do against a horde of zombies?" She sighed; she would give anything right now to be back in her apartment right now, working on that piece she never got to finish before the outbreak.

The truth was, no one needed art. In the midst of the crazy hell that was life in this new world, something as simple and useless as art was just trivial. Art didn't feed you, clothe you, keep you alive. It was just art. _Isn't that a bitch? The very thing I dedicate my life to, doesn't mean a thing now. Great job Luna, look where creativity got you! Beaten and bruised and alone. _Well, not quite alone anymore. Battered and bruised, yes, but also alive. Which was something she was forever thankful for.

"Girlie?" Merle's raspy voice snapped her out of her self-induced fog. "This bitch is done," Merle spat as he squished the roach against the log. She sighed and looked up at the starry night sky as she heard the flick of Merle's lighter. She turned, figuring he was lighting another joint, and saw him smoking a Marlboro Red. Fuck. What she wouldn't do, kill, for that goddamn cancer stick hanging so lazily from his mouth. To her surprise, he flicked one out of his softpack straight into her lap. Skill. "Eh jus' take it an' stop lookin' at me like that." She nodded and took his lighter eagerly.

As soon as the smoke lit her lungs, she let out a sigh. Now this, _this_ was perfect. But it wasn't. Because Merle was not the person she wanted to be with right now. She wanted the man with the faded angel wings emblazoned upon his back, she wanted to stare into his blue eyes forever. Feel his lips on hers, his hands... She frowned slightly, and got up. "Merle, thank you so much. I think I'm going to go see who's on watch. But this was..."she frowned again. "Interesting. Thank you." He laughed and saluted her. "Anytime, sweetcheeks."

Ugh. She bit back her rage at his pet names and turned on her heel, stomping off to find Daryl. He had to be around here somewhere. As she neared the RV, puffing on her cigarette, inhaling the deliciously harsh tobacco smoke, she heard what sounded like groaning. Reaching for her knife, Luna rounded the brush and, to her dismay, saw a walker stumbling up behind Daryl as he checked his crossbow whiled he leaned against the van, his back towards her.

She had to do something. She couldn't yell out to him, that would attract more walkers, wake people up, and not to mention there was no way he could load his bow in time. She ran up behind the walker, and once more cursed her height. Sometimes, if the walkers were too tall, she couldn't reach to plunge the knife into their brain. She would either have to jump on their back or take them down. And of course, such was the case. Great. She launched herself onto the undead man's back, and the creature hissed, clawing and snapping at her death grip around his neck as she plunged the knife into its skull. "Shit" She managed, as the walker crumbled to the ground, right on top of her.

Daryl stood over her, wide-eyed, as he rolled the dead body off of the tiny girl. She coughed and stood up. "You just..." She nodded. "We're even now, oki?" Damn. He really loved the way she said ok. She was like a goddamn mouse. And he was the cat. Fuck. "Motherfucker!" She groaned, looking at her now zombified cigarette. "No!" That had to be the cutest damned thing he had ever seen. He remembered watching her take down that geek, how small yet fierce she had looked. She was a fierce mouse. And the fuckin cutest mouse he ever had the pleasure of meeting.

He handed her his pack, and she stared at him, slackjawed. "Are—are you serious Daryl?" He shrugged. "Don' tell Merle, but I keep a carton for myself, get one whenever we go on a run." Then, she did something he really did not expect. She lunged forward, and jumped on him, her arms curling around his neck and her legs wrapping tightly around his waist. "You're the best, Daryl. Thank you." She breathed happily into his ear. Never had he witnessed someone so appreciative of such a simple gesture. Her body was pressed against his as he fought to control his urges. He wanted her so badly. But he couldn't. Not after how he had found her not even an hour or two ago. No.

Still, he was unable to control himself as his face dipped down to rest against the curve of her neck, his lips resting against her skin lightly. He felt her breathing get heavier. Unable to take much more, he moved to set her on the ground. But instead of simply moving away as he expected her to do, she slid down his body, so that they were both standing, her arms around his neck, his around her tiny waist. She looked up at him before hugging him tight to her. Neither of them said a word, they simply stood with each other, unable to break themselves away. They both knew where this was going. And that was the end of all of Daryl's careful control. He stared deeply into her eyes as he dipped his head back down to her neck, his arm snaking slowly up her back and his hand gently moving to the back of her head. He rested his open lips against her shoulder, and then placed a tender kiss there. Her skin was so soft, he wanted to taste it. Taste her. He loved how shaky her breaths were, how tight her arms were around his neck. He moved his curious lips to her pulse point, and boldly nipped the skin there, smirking against her neck as she let out a gasp. His tongue swept gently over where he'd nipped her, and she pressed her hips into him, wanting more.

She couldn't take much more teasing. But he wasn't done teasing her. Daryl wanted to savor this, savor her. He gently nipped and sucked on her sensitive skin, moving his hands to her hips as he backed her into the side of the RV. She whimpered and pressed herself against him more urgently. "Please, Daryl," her voice was strangled as she begged for him to kiss her. But still, he wouldn't. His mouth moved to her ear, and he gently nipped the lobe. "What you want, lil' lady?" So he was going to make her say it. "Please, kiss me!" She squeaked out, writhing desperately against him. He gazed into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity, before cupping her face in his rough hands and pulling her lips to his in a slow but passionate kiss. His hand had found its way under her shirt and now rested on her hip, his thumb drawing circles there. He broke away for a moment, muttering against her lips in between kisses that were growing more and more feverish. "Damn pixie...Fuckin' sexy as hell..." She arched her back, trying to get closer to him. "Daryl!" Was all she could manage. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and captured her lips with his, pressing her close to him as their tongues danced together sensually.

She had never felt like this before. It was like everything but Daryl had ceased to exist. Time had stopped. It didn't matter that this was the Zombie Apocalypse. It didn't matter that she had nothing and no one from her old life left. She had him, right here, right now. And he was _so_ good. He growled against her lips, and hoisted her legs up around his waist before walking her throught the campsite. They stopped kissing briefly. "Where are we going?" His pace quickened. "My tent." The heat that had been growing in her core intensified. This was happening. "I need ya baby," he whispered before he began licking and sucking on her neck again until they finally reached the tent. He made quick work of the zipper and soon they were inside.

By the time he laid her on the cot, she was done waiting, and she pulled him on top of her, frantically pressing herself against his now bulging pants. Daryl hovered over her, looking her up and down as he slowly moved his hands to her shirt. _Snap, snap, SNAP._ And in one fell swoop, her shirt was no more. She giggled and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. "Damnit girl, you're just too damn cute" he growled. Then, things turned more intense. He gently slid her shirt off of her shoulders, grateful she wasn't wearing a bra.

Her breasts were so beautiful. They fit her petite body perfectly, and he groaned as he licked one of her nipples, flicking the other with his thumb. She cried out and arched up into him, and he moved his mouth back to hers again. One of her hands wound itself in his hair as he kissed her and gently swept his fingers over her breasts. She was so damn perfect. He needed to taste her. He began kissing and licking his way down her neck and over her chest, making sure to flick one of her nipples with his tongue. She moaned his name, he loved hearing her say it so breathlessly, so desperately. He loved how much he was driving her crazy.

Moving at a tantalizingly slow pace, he made his way down her stomach, unbuttoning her shorts and gently sliding them off her body. He kissed her through her now wet panties, teasing her still. She clutched his hair tightly, her hips bucking as he removed her panties. Then, his tongue was on her, and she threw her head back, in pure ecstasy. He licked her clit and dipped his tongue into her, tasting her sweetness on his tongue. He growled and pulled her closer to him, shoving his tongue into her as deep as it would go. She wouldn't last much longer. She could feel the heat about to explode in her. "Daryl, I- I can't, I'm..." And then, she was climaxing, screaming his name.

He licked her clean before looking up at her again. She was panting heavily. He wanted so badly to fuck her. But he knew he shouldn't yet. Not after knowing her for such a short period of time. He knew that she was special. But he wanted to so damn bad. And she was practically begging for him. But he couldn't. Couldn't take advantage like that. Sighing, he slid her panties back up her body. Luna bolted upright, confused. "But, I thought..." He looked into her eyes, filled with rejection and hurt. Shit. He hadn't meant to do that. "Baby, don' worry, I'll fuck you so hard you won' be able to walk straight. Jus' not tonight." She sighed in defeat. "You're impossible!" She groaned, still a little breathless as he inched up the cot to hover over her. "I jus', not after what happened to ye tonight. I'm sorry lil' lady. I'd love nothin' more'n to fuck you senseless," he growled.

Giving up, she turned over, her back to the man she had been so quick to try and bed. She felt ashamed. Of course he didn't really want her. It was just heat of the moment. She sniffled a little bit. A hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her back, so she was staring straight into his eyes. "I wan' you, don' think for a second that I don', pixie." She smiled up at him and he leaned down to kiss her softly. "Reckon you oughta get some sleep." Grumbling incoherently in a drowsy agreement, she willingly let Daryl pull her into his arms and drifted away into a peaceful sleep.

**So, I took a risk here! If you think they moved too fast I can redo the chapter, but I think it was perfect timing. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Brilliant Yellow

**Hello everybody! I hope you enjoyed Chapter three! Shout-outs and cyber blunts to my third and fourth reviewers, SilverChalice and Maddy! Also, to recap chapter three, **_**I **_**personally think the best part of the chapter is the Merle tent scene, because I enjoyed using his tent to sort of, accentuate and emphasize his personality. But that's just me. Anyways, enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Brilliant Yellow**

When Luna woke the next morning, she was little bit disoriented. Comfortable, but in a daze. What happened last night…_shit_. Realization hit her like a rock, and as if on cue, she felt Daryl's calloused fingers drawing patterns on her bare ribs. "I know you're 'wake, pixie." She sighed, snuggling into his warm body.

Daryl stiffened as she curled into his chest, not used to such intimate contact, and slightly tweaked out from sleep deprivation. While Luna had conked out immediately, sleep had eluded Daryl for most of the night. He couldn't stop thinking. But then, thus was the norm, he rarely could find peaceful rest, his mind always racing, cogs always turning. His lips ghosted over Luna's shoulder. "Wake up Luna," he murmured in her ear. But she refused to acknowledge him, simply making a little whining noise. He smirked, his hand drifting from its place on her ribs, upward ever-so-slowly. He felt her body go rigid under his touch, and nipped her shoulder lightly.

His thumb played with her nipple, flicking the nub as he placed soft, wet kisses up her neck. He was in complete control, and he loved it. "Daryl," she moaned, arching back into him. "You 'wake now, baby," his rough voice growled into her ear. "Yes," she whimpered.

Then, from outside, he heard a twig snap. Immediately on high alert, he turned Luna around and pressed her to his chest, whipping his hunting knife out. "What is it?" she whispered, her voice muffled against him. He pulled her head back to look at her and motioned for her to be silent before grabbing one of his flannels and putting it around her shoulders. "Wait here, I'm gon' go check it out," Luna nodded, looking at the hunter wide-eyed. "Be careful," she managed. He looked back at her, and saw the fear in her eyes. Cupping her face, he kissed her softly, his tongue gently slipping into her mouth. "I'll be fine, lil' lady," and then, he was gone. She buttoned up his flannel, inhaling his scent. _Please be okay, Daryl. _All of a sudden, Daryl was in the tent again, this time, he had a frantic look on his face.

"Herd passin' through," he whispered as he ushered her under his cot and joined her there, pulling the blanket that was on the cot down over the side so they would be hidden from view. As the moans and the shuffling of undead feet grew louder and louder, Luna started to tremble. She whimpered quietly as a walker hit the tent clumsily. Daryl gently grabbed her chin and pulled her face up to look into her mesmerizing green eyes, his other arm holding his body up over her small frame as he caressed her cheek. "Shhh, you're okay, pixie," he murmured, so softly she could barely even hear him. The tent shook again, and Luna squeezed her eyes shut, her hands holding onto Daryl for dear life.

"Long as we're quiet, they should jus' pass right on through," Daryl was trying his hardest to comfort his little pixie, but she was shaking like a leaf in his arms. He didn't understand why she was so scared; she had taken down that zombie last night with so much grace and ease. What happened?

Intent on distracting her, he looked into her eyes. She gazed up at him as he lowered his chapped lips down to hers, his rough stubble scraping her skin. Slowly but surely, her trembling ceased. She had to fight back a moan as he licked her bottom lip and took it in between his teeth, his hand roaming from her face, down her neck, to her chest. He held her body close to his with one arm as his other hand worked to undo the buttons on her shirt.

Luna was caught off guard by Daryl's distraction, and she liked it. How had she managed to shack up with Daryl Dixon, of all people? She sighed as his hands grazed across her bare skin. Then, someone was hitting the tent. They both jumped, Daryl holding her tight to him. "All clear guys!" Shane's voice sounded from outside. They both groaned simultaneously at the interruption as Daryl began to button her shirt back up. "Damn girl," he said, looking her over. Her face turned red and she suddenly became shy, looking away from him. This girl was impossible. He couldn't figure her out. But he wanted to. And he would. Daryl Dixon was one hell of a stubborn man, if he wanted something, by god he would get it.

* * *

"Alright now, we're just gonna take a look around, make sure to get rid of stragglers," Shane immediately took charge, and from the complacent looks on everyone's faces, Luna could tell this was nothing new. _So this is our fearless leader. Hmm._

Luna wasn't sure how she felt about Shane. She never was quick to judge though, always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt. She believed that there was good in everyone. She fiddled with her necklace and chewed on her lip as she tried to figure out the former cop. He always had an angry, determined look on his face. At least, from what she had seen of him in the past two days since arriving at the quarry. Maybe he was just stressed. After all, it was the Zombie Apocalypse. The dead were coming alive to devour the living, and it seemed they far outnumbered the survivors.

All of a sudden, she felt a tug on her shirt, and she looked down to see a small blonde girl. Oh, she was the daughter of that asshole and his quiet, short-haired wife. "Scuse me Miss," Luna smiled down at the girl. "What happened to your face?" Luna bit back a gasp and turned beet red, remembering the events of the previous night. _Daryl saved you, remember? He took care of you. _She didn't really know how to answer the girl, and luckily her mother pulled her away whispering how she musn't say such rude things.

Daryl watched her reaction to Sophia carefully. No one had really been expecting that, though they probably should have been. You could never rule out or underestimate the innocent curiousity of children. As he watched her struggle with inner conflict, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell he cared so much. _Grow a fuckin' pair already, Darlina. That there is damaged goods. _He remembered his brother saying that the first night they spent with her. _I can tell, this one's got demons in 'er. Ain't worth the trouble if ye ask me. _Daryl gritted his teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and rid himself of his own demons.

How exactly did he feel about this girl, though? Sure, he was attracted to her physically. But he really knew absolutely nothing about her. And despite the hesitation brought about by years of being a closed book, he found himself yearning to know who she was, what she liked, what she thought, how she felt. For reasons he could neither find nor explain, he was drawn to Luna like a moth to a flame.

"Daryl? Daryl!" Shane's voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts and brought him back to reality. "You with us there buddy?" The group snickered and Daryl fought to keep his temper under control. "Yeah, sure am." Shane nodded, satisfied. "Alright, well you and Merle will be take the west side of the camp. Glenn, you take this lil' darlin' here," he gestured to Luna, "and scout out the north side, T-Dog and Andrea, you take the South side, and me an' Morales will take the east side. Clear?" Everyone agreed to their assignments, and the group dispersed quickly, moving out to opposite corners of the quarry.

Being paired with Glenn was actually better than Luna had expected it to be. After Shane had put Daryl down like that, she had decided that although Shane was smart and logical, he wasn't all that nice. She didn't like how he called her darlin' either.

"So, Luna, I don't think we've ever formally introduced ourselves. I'm Glenn," he held out his hand and she smiled brightly as she shook it. "Luna Henderson. Nice to actually meet someone," they both laughed. Glenn was...nice. She still missed the company of the hunter, her savior, but Glenn, as it turned out, was a great friend to talk to and and wonderfully funny as well.

"So get this, before all of this shit went down, I was a pizza delivery boy!" Luna nearly coughed on the water she had been drinking. "Really? From all of these elaborate plans you tell me you've laid out going on runs into the city, I would have thought that you were some sort of crazy smart engineer or something. No offense. " He jokingly gave her an angry face and shook his head. "Nope! What about you? What was a pretty little girl like you doing before the outbreak?" She smiled, reaching her arms out the brush her fingers through the tall grass as they walked through a small field. She closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sky, soaking in the warm rays of sun. Despite her paleness and tendency to fry like a lobster, Luna loved the sun. The sun and the ocean were her two favorite things. She bit her lip as she wondered if she would ever see the ocean again.

"I was an artist. I lived in a shitty apartment in Maine before this." Glenn looked at her, shocked. "So if you lived in Maine, then why are you down here in Georgia?" She sighed. "I had a small art show that was supposed to take place in Atlanta the day they bombed the city. Of course, by that point I knew I was fucked."

As much as she was enjoying Glenn's company, remembering hurt. It always hurt. She sighed, following Glenn back to the quarry as they finished their perimeter check.

Daryl and Merle stalked silently, shoulder-to-shoulder, through the dense Georgia brush. "Y'know, I may've misjudged lil' sugartits a bit." Merle started. Daryl ground his teeth together. He would kill him if this was going where he thought, no, _knew_, this was going. "Yeah?" was all he could managed. "She might jus' be a good fuck. Smoked a j with me jus' last night." _Control yourself. __He doesn't know. _He prayed Merle would take his silence as indifference and leave the conversation at that, but then good ol' Merle never really knew when to quit. "She got a nice pair a titties, bet she rides like a—" and just like that, Merle was on the ground. "Jus' shut up, ye ain't touchin' 'er." Merle cackled and punched Daryl in the face, quickly gaining the upper hand. "What's the matter, Darlina, got a lil' crush on Looney Tunes, do we?" Daryl growled as he stood up, dusting himself off. "Jus' don' touch 'er Merle, I mean it." He only laughed some more. _Sometimes, I really fuckin' hate ye Merle. You sonuvabitch._

Luckily, Merle had spotted tracks, and forgotten about the conversation. _Thank fuck. _As they continued to follow the tracks they came out into a small field. "Shit, must've stepped outta our perimeter," Daryl started to say. But he only really got to "Shit," because there, in the field, was Glenn and Luna. She was following after him, brushing the tall thick grass with her hands and taking in the Georgian beauty. She looked so serene. So beautiful and perfect. He had never seen anyone so content and happy to be surrounded by nature, and as he watched her move through the grass, he couldn't help but want to join her.

Unfortunately, Merle had other plans. "Ey, quit watchin' sweetcheeks loverboy, let's get back to camp!" He growled and turned back towards Merle who now had ten squirrels strung up on his line. The brothers made their way back to camp in silence.

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**So that was Chapter four! I hope you enjoyed it! Review, feedback is greatly appreciated. Cyber blunts for all!**


	5. Chapter Five: Burnt Umber

After the herd had passed through, the entire camp was on edge. Luna noticed the tension it was causing between Shane and Dale, who, as unfortunate as it was expected, both had conflicting ideas as to keeping the group as safe as possible. Shane wanted to wait it out and stay at the quarry, while Dale wished to move on to safer, higher ground. Walkers had become more frequent visitors around the camp, and the watch was amped up so that men covered every area of the perimeter at all times. Nothing and no one in or out without someone seeing it and Shane knowing about it.

Luna had begun to pick up on a lot of things in the week and a half she had been at the quarry. For one, Shane was a little too power-hungry and high on his horse. Another thing; responsibilities among the group had, though not intentionally, been given based on stereotypical gender roles. Luna hated that shit, more than anything. After a heated discussion with Shane, however, she had been given watch duty and guard over the children during the day. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the time being.

Things with Daryl had...digressed, to say the least. She sighed, adjusting the knife strapped to her belt as she sat perched atop the RV. She took it out, examining the intricate grooves and patterns engraved into the cool metal. Her friend had made it for her their senior year of art school, right before she had died...

"You like it? Figured you might want it." Crystal offered her the knife in a small voice. Luna smiled and embraced her friend, her sister, examining the beautiful, flowery detail running up and down the blade. "I love it! You didn't have to do this Crys," she started, and then it caught her eye. On the hilt of the dagger, engraved in beautiful script, were the words that were inscribed forever in Luna's heart and mind: 'happiness can be found even in the darkest of places, if one only remembers to turn on the light.'

Luna sighed once more, putting the knife back on her belt. Bet you never thought I'd be using this to fight for my life against some half dead freaks. I wish you were here...

A rough hand grabbed her bare shoulder, and she jumped nearly out of her skin in fright. "Damn girl you scare easy." She blew out a shaky breath, still not turning to meet his eyes. "Fuck off Daryl, I don't need this shit right now." For some reason, the day after the herd passed, Daryl refused to touch or even talk to her. When she tried, he had simply pushed her away.

"Hey! Ya crazy bitch, I'm talkin to ya." Luna whirled around to face him, snapping out of her thoughts, tears still streaming down her face, as she shoved him away. "Go away!" She whimpered. "I just want to be left alone."

A look of realization mixed with concern hit his face, before he hardened again, his features contorting into an angry smirk. "Have it your way then, crazy fuckin bitch." She turned away, sobbing, and made her way to her tent as it started to pour.

Why was he doing this? Why did he have to make it seem like he fucking cared, and now? Luna felt like to him, she was the shit stuck to the bottom of his shoe. And that hurt, especially after what she had been through as of late. She sighed, putting her knife under her pillow before going outside for a moment to relieve herself.

* * *

She was supposed to be his. She looked just like his Annabelle. When she had first arrived at the quarry, it was as if he had seen a ghost. Not a broken body, mangled and decaying, reaching for him with dead hands and rotting teeth. And now? All he could see, sleep, eat, or breathe was Annabelle. Her and Lucinda's untimely deaths weren't fair, humane, right. But she was back, and he had a second chance with her. His love. His light. When he closed his eyes, all he could see were flashbacks of the festering teeth and deteriorating hands that so greedily devoured his reason for living. But he was so sure, yes, absolutely positive even, that being with Annabelle one more time would rid him of those ugly nightmare-turned-realities forever.

His decision was made. It was as good as done.

He had to have her.

* * *

Luna was thinking about her pathetic life, crying, when she heard something. There was a faint rustling, footsteps, no doubt, outside her tent. She reached for her knife that she hid under her pillow, but it was nowhere to be found. She sucked in a frantic breath. Odd, she'd only left the tent a moment ago for a second, to use the bathroom, and now her knife was gone. With only bare hands to defend her, Luna anxiously awaited whoever it was, and watched as the zipper slowly slid down.

"Jim?!" She heaved a relieved sigh. "Oh thank god, I thought I was dead!" She joked, wiping tears from her eyes. "So what's up?"

Jim looked around, his eyes darting about as always, "May I come in?" She nodded, and he stepped into the small space.

"What's up?" She sniffled a bit, moving over so he could sit down. "Well, it's just, I have a problem. And I think you can help me with that problem, but you won't want to." Confused, Luna blinked and laughed. "Why wouldn't I want to help you Jim?" He blew out a heavy sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose. His breaths started to become shakier, until finally he looked up. "Do you trust me?" Smiling, she nodded "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"I used to have a wife, you know. A child."

Luna opened her mouth to offer condolences, but he simply continued on with his train of thought.

"Then, when all of this-this madness-started, I lost them both. They didn't make it past the front porch...tragic really. And then you, you showed up at this, place, and y-you just, LOOK so much like my Annabelle."

Not liking the vibes she was getting, Luna started to inch farther away from Jim.

"I don't under-"

"Understand?! Ha! No of course you don't know what you have to do with any of this do you? I'm just fucking NUTS, right? Well here's the thing, if I don't fix this fucked up horror show constantly running through my head, I WILL go fucking nuts. Which brings me to you."

He sank down to his knees in front of her, and got super close to her face.

"You know what I need." He whispered, gazing into her eyes. She started to tear up, realizing what was about to happen.

"Please Jim, don't-"

And then, as fast as the lightning piercing through the night sky, he was on top of her. His chapped and despairing lips moved pathetically against hers, and she choked back a sob. She remembered this awful sensation. The forest attacker finally had a name; a sad, disappointing, and treacherous name. Luna sobbed and tried to push him away, until she felt the cold bite of metal on her skin. "Scream or fight, and I'll start cutting. I'm sorry Annabelle, but its the only way." Hot, furious tears rolled down her face as she felt him cut into her shirt shamelessly and rip it open, exposing her body. "I'm not Annabelle you fuck-" and before she could finish, his hand was on her throat and her own knife was on her breast, digging into the soft, vulnerable flesh there mercilessly. "Daryl," she whispered, more of a futile prayer than anything, as Jim tore off her shorts and fumbled with his belt buckle, holding her knife against her throat as he rid himself of his pants and boxers. Uncontrollable rage welled up within Luna, and she drew in a breath, and started to scream. The scream, however, turned into a strangled whimper as she felt the blade slice into her skin. "I fucking told you to shut up!" Jim growled and backhanded her across the face, before slamming himself into her suddenly and violently. She cried out as he thrust himself into her desperately, insanely. The pain was searing, and the violation was unbearable. She looked for something, anything to help her. But she saw nothing...nothing except the gas-powered lantern just out of reach as her attacker continued to violently take her. Reaching her arm out, she struggled to grasp the smooth, cool metal handle. Finally, her desperate and shaky fingers found purchase as he continued to slam into her harder and harder, and she brought it down on Jim's head as hard as she could. The lantern shattered on the back of his head, and he fell limp on top of her. Still sobbing, she pushed his dead weight off of her and wrapped her arms around herself, rocking herself back and forth. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay." She whispered the words like a mantra out loud over and over, as hot tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

It was about two minutes later that she realized she couldn't stay in here, with this man, and so she stole her knife from his unconscious hand and dressed quickly, carefully avoiding her rapist before running straight out of her tent.

* * *

T-Dog sat atop the RV with Merle, who was smoking a cig and keeping watch, when he thought he heard something. Like a scream that was cut off. T-Dog hopped off the RV, whistling to Merle and gesturing as to what he was doing and where he was going. Merle grumbled, something about T-Dog being a crazy sonuvabitch, but said nothing else.

His feet crunched softly into the leaves on the ground; he had checked just about everywhere and was about to give up, when he heard something shatter. Immediately, he set off towards the sound, boots pounding into the dirt as he neared Daryl and Merle's part of the camp. The light in Luna's tent was off, which was a bad sign, because it wasn't nearly late enough for the girl to be asleep. That was enough for him. Just as he was about to go into her tent however, she came running out of it like a bat out of hell, and flew straight into him.

Immediately, he noticed the crazed look in her eye and the fast, shaky breaths she was taking. She tried to keep moving past him, but he grasped her shoulders firmly and forced her to stand in front of him. It was now that he noticed tears were streaming ferociously down her face, and he growled in frustration. "Whoah, slow down there, what happened?" Luna opened her mouth to respond, but it seemed she could not find the words to speak. It was then that T-Dog noticed the knife she was gripping tightly in her hand; it was bloody. He immediately backed away. "What happened. You need to talk to me Luna. Now, jus' calm down and talk to me." No answer. "Okay, can you give me the knife and come-" all of a sudden, she was holding the knife out in front of her, as if to defend herself. "Don't fucking touch me," she whispered. T backed away, hands raised, and watched as she ran down the path to the quarry.

* * *

Daryl arrived back at camp late into the night, a fresh string of rabbits and squirrels laced around his shoulder. Immediately, he noticed a change in the atmosphere. Coming up on the group gathered around a small fire, he dropped his catch on the ground.

"I've already tried talking to her, T. It's not helping."

"We can't just let her sit there with that damned knife."

"I think she's dangerous, a liability at least."

Daryl finally interjected, making his presence known to the group, "Wha's goin' on?"

The group fell silent for a moment, until Glenn spoke up. "We don't really know. Luna just, snapped, I guess. She came running out of her tent like a bat outta hell and when Rick tried to approach her, she threatened him with her knife. Now she's down at the quarry. We've all tried talking to her, but it isn't working. We don't know what to do at this point other than forcibly restrain her and prevent her from doing harm to herself or others."

The fact that their only option was restraints pissed Daryl off, but more than that, he was curious as to the sudden change. Maybe she really was a crazy bitch after all. But he doubted that. A more likely scenario...something happened to her. Sighing, he squinted at Shane through the crackling fire, as the man gave him a pleading look. "Want me to go talk to 'er?" And just like that, it was as if a bomb had diffused among the survivors. "That'd be great. Be nice though. Please." Shane nearly begged.

His army grade boots crunched into the path as rocks gave way to lake sand. There, sitting on the beach, curled in a ball and rocking back and forth, was Luna. He came up behind her silently and put a hand on her shoulder. Almost immediately, she whipped around with the knife, but Daryl was faster, and he disarmed her instantly. "Now wha' the fuck was tha' for?" The only reply he got was a choking sob.

Luna felt a rough hand on her face, and she flinched away. "Don't touch me," she whispered.

"Why?"

"I-it's better this way."

"Don' seem better to me. Wha' happened."

"None of your fucking business."

Wha' happened?" He demanded in a not-so-gentle tone, but got no answer. She only shook her head and looked at the knife on the ground, sobbing and holding herself.

Suddenly, the full moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the quarry. Daryl looked at her, and sucked in a deep breath.

Her face was red and her lip was split. There was a fresh bruise on her cheek, and small bruises peppered her arms, in the shape of grabbing fingers.

"The FUCK," He shook her, but she only cried louder. Sighing, "Okay, stop crying. Wha' happened." She slowly looked up, her eyes rimmed in tears and red. He crouched down in front of her, and she felt his rough hand gently slide under her chin and force her to look up at him, "Did someone hurt you?" He asked in the most gentle, yet rough voice she'd ever heard. Like compressed charcoal rendered to create soft lines and values. Gone was the rough and crude, uncaring man who had stood before her not a moment ago. Luna looked at him wide-eyed, not being able to give him answers. He near snarled in frustration. He wanted, needed, to help her, but he didn't know how. if only she would tell him.

She started rubbing her arms and rocking back and forth. "He. He ruined me. And I let him. " Daryl was holding his hands over his mouth, unsure of what to do, afraid, of what he wished to do. He knew he had an angry side, a dark place, darker even than he usually led on. The group seemed to catch what was on the surface, but they could never even begin to comprehend the rage that lay deep within him. His sour attitude and rude behavior was only the beginning.

It was festering now, a rapidly spreading fire that needed to be extinguished. He wanted to kill, no, first castrate, the man that did this to her. He wanted to make him suffer unimaginable and unnecessary amounts and variations of pain. Daryl had never tolerated behavior such as this, and now that such unspeakable things had been done to this poor, beautiful, broken creature that barely stood shaking and sobbing in front of him, he felt the burning rage, once a mere ember, growing deep within his bones.

"I'm gonna kill whatever low-life, motherless bastard did this to ya," he cursed lowly.

Panting heavily, he paced around her on the sand, uttering curses and oaths. Then, he turned on Luna. Something he had feared would happen.

"And you-ya just fucking LET him do that to ya?! Huh?! How could ya be so fuckin' stupid?! What're ya a retard?! Answer me...GODDAMNIT!"

But Luna only whimpered and cowered away. "Please don't hurt me," it was so quiet Daryl could hardly hear her over the blood pounding in his ears and through his heart. It was then that he stopped for a second, snapped out of the psychotic rage.

"I tried to fight, I-I'm so sorry," she gasped for air as her own crying threatened to suffocate the air from her lungs. "I fucking tried. I FUCKING TRIED! I tried so hard," she wept the same phrase over and over, as Daryl gritted his teeth, trying to gain control over the animal within.

Finally, after a few moments, Luna felt a hand cup her cheek. "Luna," she closed her eyes, breathing more deeply now, her tears beginning to subside. "List'n to me, shhh, stop cryin' now, I ain't gon' hurt ya, could never hurt ya. I jus', can't control it sometimes." Luna looked up at him with puffy, red eyes, and took another deep breath.

"Are you hurt in, any other way?" Luna indeed was, but was in too much of a state of shock to feel any physical pain. So, she shook her head no, and brought her hand up to her mouth, chewing viciously on her fingernail. "What do ya need? I mean, wha' can I do?" The hunter asked helplessly, as he sat facing her, resting his elbows on his knees and pulling angrily at his growing mop of hair.

Then, suddenly, her arms were around his neck and she was crying against him. "I'm sorry, so sorry," she was hysterical. He pulled her into his body, no longer intent on pushing her away as his older brother had not so kindly demanded.

"It's gon' be alright, Luna. He can't hurt you now. I'm here. Shhh, baby it's okay." Her face was hot and wet against his neck, but he didn't care. He tenderly lifted her tiny, almost featherweight body into his arms, and held her against him. "Don' be fuckin' sorry. Be hurt, be angry, hell, be insane. Jus' don' you dare say sorry," he himself was on the verge of tears. He felt like he was holding a broken china doll, a shattered dream. Her once alive green eyes were now only full of hollow sorrow. It tore his heart to shreds. Whoever had done this had tortured and violated not just her body, but her spirit as well. There was no greater crime in Daryl's eyes. To destroy a persons spirit was to damage the soul, and Daryl knew personally that no heart knew greater pain than a tortured one.

He heard her groan, and suddenly realized that the hand he had wrapped around her, resting on her ribs, was wet. He looked down, and to his dismay, saw a growing crimson stain blooming across her shirt beneath his hand. Almost immediately, she wriggled away, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I promise, I'm fine," she whispered over and over.

Daryl let out a strangled sigh. "C'mere," he went to gently pull her towards him, but she flinched away. "Stop that now, I ain't gon' hurt ya. I'm tryna help now...c'mere lil lady." He reached out again, and this time, she let him pull her close, closing her eyes as she felt his fingers brush against her flesh while he lifted up her shirt.

She heard him exhale sharply. "Shit! Wha' the FUCK Luna! God! I mean use ya fuckin' head for once!" He didn't mean to say hurtful things to Luna, but he said them anyway, too angry and concerned about her injuries to care. "Lemme help you, goddamnit. And don' fuckin' lie to me again," he scolded. Silent, Luna simply nodded and complied, watching as he cleaned and dressed the laceration just under her breast. As he put a bandage over it, Luna managed to squeak out a question feebly.

"W-Why are you helping me?" Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears as she watched Daryl's jaw clench and unclench repeatedly, his brain clearly waging an internal war on himself.

"Figure someone's gotta," was all he replied.

* * *

After Daryl had cleaned and bandaged her wound, Luna looked up at the hunter expectantly.

It had been almost too easy to push her away. Like an obligation in a way.

Now though? Now, he couldn't push her away, or call her a crazy bitch. She'd just been raped, and he had, for all intensive purposes, willingly volunteered himself to help her in the slow process of recovery. It didn't matter that Merle would be, and probably already was, pissed off at him. It didn't matter that he had "urges" he needed to "protect" her from. All that mattered was that she was safe and sound in his sight and in his arms, away from anything that could hurt her, while he soothed her tears and scared the hurt away.

In a way, he felt almost to blame for the whole situation. Instead of distancing himself and pushing her away for his own comfort, he should have kept her in his sight at all times, protected her, kept her safe from harm. But why did that make it his fault? It's not like she was his responsibility. But then, that's how he'd felt when he'd first shot her in the woods. Like perhaps she was his to take care of.

'Jesus, Darlina, you gon' an got soft!' He could just hear his brother hootin' and hollerin' about it right now. But he didn't care. Luna needed him, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he cared so much, but right now he wasn't going to try. He was going to help her, and be there for her.

Rape. It was a word and action that now thoroughly enraged Daryl. He'd never really cared before, as long as his brother and his friends didn't partake, but now that it had truly happened to a creature as beautiful as Luna, he couldn't stand to see whoever had committed the heinous crime alive another day. Part of him still, even as he was comforting Luna, wanted to stomp up to camp and lay into the bastard until nothing was left but a smashed-in face and a broken, cold body. He had to almost constantly remind himself that he couldn't, no matter how much he yearned for it, go and confront the unidentified rapist right now. He needed to care for Luna and figure out exactly what happened to her.

A small sob lifted him from his thoughts, and he looked down at Luna. "Wha's wrong, girl?" Her eyes were such a deep and stormy green, he yearned to know what she was thinking, how exactly she felt, so he could better help her. She closed her eyes and sighed shakily. "Nothing. I just, can't believe I let it happen to me again. I can't, can't go through this anymore. I, I honestly wish I were dead sometimes. At least then I wouldn't have to deal with the pain." Her words struck a chord deep within his heart, and he rested a calloused hand on her frail shoulder. "Listen, hey, hey, shhh. It's gon' be okay pixie, I promise. I'm here, I'll take care of ya." She looked into his eyes, as they both started to lean in. But the closer she got to his lips, the shakier she got.

The attraction she felt for Daryl had been destroyed, ruined by Jim and by the other painful memories that the experience had dredged up. She hated him for it. She hated the fact that one man-no, monster-could do this to her.

"I can't." Was all she managed.

Her rejection was like a knife in Daryl's surprisingly fragile heart. He knew she was broken in more ways than one, hell be damned if he wasn't broken too. But it still hurt that she didn't trust him. "Trust no one." She whispered before she could stop herself. She tried to get up and leave, but Daryl grabbed hold of her arm firmly.

"Where the fuck do ya think you're gonna go?! Back to your tent?! Where that bastard fuckin' forced himself on ya? Huh?" She was shaking heavily now, her breaths coming out in short, sporadic bursts. "I can't, I can't," was all she could say, over and over.

"Please let go of me," she whimpered. Angry, he threw her arm away from him, and got in her face. "Wha' is it exactly yer tryin' ta do? Please fuckin tell me, cuz yer a goddamn mystery to me! Jesus, I'm tryin to fuckin help you, and this is the thanks I get. What am I to you? Some sorta fucked up tissue you can throw away once you're done?!" He was pacing the sand again now, running his hands through his hair and clenching and unclenching his fists.

"It's not like that. You know that. Please just try and understand."

With that, she left him, making her way up the quarry path and to her now empty tent.

**Author's Note:**

**As I hope you all will notice, I have revised this chapter now feel good about posting it. Now please do review, it's readisused converting to see no one cares enough to so :( anyways, until next time my friends! Cyberblunts to reviewers!**


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